Arrieta frustrated, Phillies lose to Giants

By Gideon RubinThe Associated Press

Sunday

Jun 3, 2018 at 7:19 PMJun 3, 2018 at 7:20 PM

Pitcher Jake Arrieta's frustration boiled over after the game. The 32-year-old righty unloaded on an organization that gave him a $75 million, three-year contract, taking aim at the Phillies for not keeping up a booming baseball trend.

SAN FRANCISCO — Jake Arrieta is demanding the Philadelphia Phillies shift their strategy. Do it right now, too.

The Phillies ace hit a home run, but that was Philadelphia's only highlight in a 6-1 loss Sunday that completed a three-game sweep for the San Francisco Giants.

Arrieta's frustration boiled over after the game. The 32-year-old righty unloaded on an organization that gave him a $75 million, three-year contract, taking aim at the Phillies for not keeping up a booming baseball trend.

"We're the worst in the league with shifts, so we need to change that," Arrieta said.

Arrieta didn't offer specific recommendations.

"Use your eyes, make an adjustment and be better. We need some accountability all the way around. Everybody, top to bottom," Arrieta said.

"We need to have an accountability check," he said. "This is a key moment in our season. We had a pretty good April, a pretty good May. June isn't starting out so well."

Asked if he thought the team had the wherewithal to do that, Arrieta said, "if there's not, I'll make sure there is."

The Phillies are 2-5 so far on a 10-game road trip. They have scored only one run in 29 innings.

Arrieta (5-3) allowed five runs and eight hits in six innings. The 2015 NL Cy Young Award winner had given up just three earned runs over his last 35 innings when the Giants broke through in the sixth to score five times.

Dereck Rodriguez (1-0), the 25-year-old son of Hall of Fame catcher Ivan Rodriguez, earned his first big league win. He had pitched just once before in the majors, going 3 1/3 innings in relief last Tuesday at Colorado.

Making his first start, Rodriguez gave up one run — on Arrieta's sixth career homer — and five hits in six innings. He walked two and struck out six.

"Today I felt fine," Rodriguez said. "I felt like I was going out there like any other start when I was down in Triple-A. A couple more thousand people. Besides that, I felt the same out there."

Andrew McCutchen hit a three-run homer, an opposite-field shot that helped the Giants win their fourth in a row. They've taken five straight at home.

McCutchen hadn't homered in 159 previous plate appearances, the longest power dry spell of his career.

Arrieta hadn't allowed a home run in 33 consecutive innings.

The Giants trailed 1-0 when manager Bruce Bochy pinch-hit Alen Hanson for Rodriguez in the sixth. Hanson beat out an infield hit that was among five straight hits in a five-run inning. McCutchen's opposite-field drive off Arrieta broke it open.

Buster Posey hit his fourth home run off Phillies reliever Hector Neris in the eighth.

ON THE MARK

Giants reliever Mark Melancon struck out the side in the top of the seventh in his first appearance of the season. Melancon (right elbow flexor strain) came off the DL on Friday.

"This is what he's going to be doing, the sixth or seventh inning helping out," Bochy said. "It's a big inning. At that point before he came in it was a one-run ballgame. Thought he showed good command. Really had his pitches going. That's always good to see too. Pretty nice debut on his comeback."

QUOTABLE

"The homer that `Cutch hit seemed like it was a routine flyball off the bat. I don't believe in cheap homers or anything like that, but that ball was a flyball." — Phillies manager Gabe Kapler on McCutchen's home run.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Giants: Madison Bumgarner (broken pinkie on pitching hand) won't be on an excessively restrictive pitch count when he comes of the DL to make his first start on Tuesday against Arizona. Bochy said Bumgarner can throw "90 or so" pitches. "That's not too much of a limit," Bochy said. ... RHP Johnny Cueto (right elbow inflammation) threw from 120 feet on flat ground on Sunday. He also played catch throwing off a mound on Sunday, without discomfort, Bochy said. ... RHP Jeff Samardzija (right shoulder tightness) will throw from flat ground on Monday.

UP NEXT

Phillies: After a day off, RHP Zach Eflin (1-2, 5.40 ERA) will pitch Tuesday's series opener against the Cubs. Eflin has given up 11 runs (10 earned) over the 8 2/3 inning of his last two starts.

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